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Video: Why the painting "House of Cards" became a reflection of the personal tragedy of the artist Zinaida Serebryakova
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
One of the iconic works of Zinaida Serebryakova is the painting "House of Cards", written in 1919. The painting represents a group of children, passionate about building a house from a deck of cards. But something in this picture is alarming and makes you sad. It turns out that this uncomplicated childish game of building a house of cards hides a whole story from the artist's life.
About the artist
Zinaida Serebryakova left an indelible mark on the history of painting as one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. She was born on December 12, 1884 in the Neskuchnoye estate on the territory of modern Kharkov in the Benoit-Lanceray dynasty of artists. The artist's father, Eugene Lansere, was a famous sculptor.
Serebryakova's uncle, Alexander Benois, was an influential Russian artist, one of the founders of the art group World of Art, who created a number of important publications about Russian artists. When Zinaida was barely 2 years old, her father died of tuberculosis, and the family was forced to move to her grandfather's apartment in St. Petersburg. By the way, his maternal grandfather, Nikolai Benois, was a famous professor and chairman of the St. Petersburg Society of Architects. His apartment was located next to the Mariinsky Theater,
Thanks to such a talented pedigree, since childhood, Serebryakova was surrounded by artists of all stripes, from whom she could learn painting, music and dance. In 1900, she entered the women's gymnasium and the art school of Princess K. N. Tenisheva, where she met Ilya Repin, who was then considered a Russian Rembrandt. It was Repin who became her first mentor. In 1903, Serebryakova entered the studio of Osip Braz, a Russian realist artist and associate of the World of Art.
House of cards
A popular work by Serebryakova is the painting "House of Cards" (1919). The plot seems pretty funny, family-like and cozy. This is a group of children who are passionate about building a house of cards. Three boys and a girl are the children of the artist herself. They sit at a table with a navy blue tablecloth. On the table is a vase with cornflowers and a doll that no one is playing anymore. The picture shows the moment when the little heroine is about to take a card from the table and put it in the house. With her other hand, she holds an ace of hearts.
Indeed, a very exciting and interesting activity. The artist skillfully conveyed the beauty of children's play. But something is wrong with this … These are the views of the children. Of course, such a game requires care and extreme accuracy. The children took this matter seriously enough. Perhaps that is why there is tension and perseverance in their facial expressions, which should help them succeed? No, too gloomy faces, in which there is not even a hint of fun. Anxiety and failure are visible on the faces of students. Another author's message, which is alarming - is too dark and gloomy palette. It is interesting that Serebryakova decided to depict this canvas in cold colors, but why would it suddenly? After all, this was not at all typical for her. In fact, the canvas reflects the deep personal tragedy of a woman, wife and mother all rolled into one. A whole series of unpleasant events happened to Serebryakova during the year and in the year of this painting.
Family life of Serebryakova
In 1917, at the peak of Serebryakova's career, the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg awarded her the title of academician. But the Bolshevik Revolution deprived her of the opportunity to study at the academy, as she had to flee. Then Serebryakova decided to rent an unheated three-room apartment in neighboring Kharkov. Since 1918, a black streak begins in the artist's life. Her beloved estate, Neskuchnoye, was plundered and burned to the ground. In 1919, her husband was arrested in Moscow during the Red Terror and then died of typhus in a Bolshevik prison. Widowed with four small children and a sick mother, Serebryakova returned to St. Petersburg. This was a turning point in her career. She looked for any job to keep her family from hunger. Life was spent in poverty, and the past scattered like a house of cards. These situations prompted the artist to create a canvas.
It was during this time that she created her darkest work, House of Cards, in which her four children go through life's hardships while playing a game. All the complexities of their fate convey views. Languid, confused and tense. These are the views of children who did not have time to enjoy their childhood. Comparing this work with the earlier painting "At Breakfast" (1914), it is impossible not to notice the sharp contrast. The first work depicts a happy young family. And the picture of 1919 is an exhausted family that has gone through many difficulties.
Thus, the house of cards in the picture personifies hope and faith in the best, spiritual well-being, which is not enough. For the artist, family, home comfort and tranquility have always been important (these are the values that Serebryakova's canvases are filled with). And in this work, the house of cards, which is about to collapse, symbolizes the transience of human happiness. The family can collapse in the same way. The viewers, of course, would like to hope for a sunny and happy future for these children.
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